OPINION: Keeping downloads open
By Paul Sweeting -- Video Business, 11/21/2008
NOV. 21 | TWO SEEMINGLY unrelated events last week nonetheless each reflect a telling pattern in the development of the movie download market.
Paul Sweeting is editor of Content Agenda
The headline event was Sonic Solutions’ acquisition of movie download service CinemaNow for $3 million in cash.
According to Sonic officials, the CinemaNow digital storefront will now be bundled with Sonic’s Qflix download-to-burn software when licensed to DVD drive makers. Henceforth, nearly all Qflix-enabled DVD burners will come bundled with the CinemaNow client (the bundle will be the “default option” for licensing Qflix according to Sonic executives, although it will be possible to license Qflix without it).
As Sonic officials have noted, the bundling will create something very much like the iTunes/iPod ecosystem, where iTunes comes bundled with every iPod, combining device and content in one easy-to-use, fully licensed package.
Read the full column at ContentAgenda.com.
